Oaklands School received the prestigious MOVE quality mark on Monday (17 December). The presentation was made by Paralympic swimmer Jim ‘The Swim’ Anderson OBE (pictured above), who unveiled a flag to mark the event.
Nigel Carter, CEO of The MOVE Partnership was extremely impressed with the results of the assessment of Oaklands School and how it has developed and integrated the MOVE programme as well as the impact it has had on the pupils. He said “Oaklands School showed the best evidence of good practice I have ever seen”.
Councillor Paul Godzik, Education, Children and Families Convener said, “This really is an outstanding achievement for Oaklands and I would to congratulate everyone involved for this and all the hard work put in by pupils, staff and parents. To be the first in Edinburgh to receive this award is a fantastic achievement I and hope other schools will look to follow in their foot steps.”
The assessment took place on the 18 September last, to assess the implementation and quality of the MOVE programme in the school. It is an inclusive award that recognises good practice and progress in the MOVE principles. Consequently, Oaklands was awarded the MOVE Quality Mark and invited to become a MOVE Regional Centre of Excellence, the 18th in Europe and 3rd in Scotland.
Nigel Carter, CEO of The MOVE Partnership said, “When we visited here to assess the school in September I was really impressed; Oaklands School showed the best evidence of good practice I have ever seen. We have awarded them the quality mark to recognise this and I would like to commend them for their efforts as we look forward to working together further in the future.”
Jim Anderson, former paralympian swimmer was on hand to help with the unveiling of the MOVE flag today and spent some time speaking with pupils and staff after the event.
MOVE (Movement for Learning and Life) helps children who have complex disabilities to:
- Acquire and maintain increased independence in sitting, standing, walking and transferring,
- Learn, gain and maintain more mobility through transference of skills and
- Experience better health, enhanced personal dignity, improved communication skills and access to education.
Increased abilities in sitting, standing and walking decrease the burden of care for families and care providers. These increased abilities also bring new opportunities for greater participation and involvement in family life and for inclusion into the wider community.
MOVE is a programme shown to improve functional mobility skills and empower children and adults who have complex physical and learning disabilities to better direct their own lives. The MOVE Programme uses a family/person centred approach to develop functional mobility, based on current theory and research in education, therapy, biomechanics and motor science.
Oaklands Head Teacher Maureen Mathieson said: “This is a very special day for Oaklands and we are all absolutely delighted to receive the MOVE quality mark.”
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